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Why'd I take speed for twenty years? (Part 1) Oct 27, 2023

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One of the millions of millennials given prescription stimulants to treat ADHD decides to quit. And afterwards wonders -- how did these drugs becomes so popular, so fast? This week, the story of amphetamine's birth, life, death, and rebirth in America. (Methylphenidates, too.)

If you want to comment on this episode or financially support the show, head to pjvogt.com

Is there a sane way to use the internet? Oct 20, 2023

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Ezra Klein joins Search Engine this week to answer a question that's increasingly confounded us: how do I use the internet now? How do I get information about the things I care about, without getting sucked into a vortex of opinion, unearned certainty, and yelling?

If you'd like reading recommendations based on this episode, or if you'd like to support the show, head to our newsletter.

Heavyweight x Search Engine Oct 09, 2023

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Search Engine is VERY EXCITED to share the news that Heavyweight, one of our favorite shows, is now available wherever you download podcasts. To celebrate, and to herald the release of their new season, we're sharing one of our favorite episodes of the show. We will be back with a new episode of our own on October 21.

The Fond Du Lac Apartment Mystery Oct 06, 2023

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Why would the government give Korianne a coupon for a free apartment that she can’t find? We have a question from a listener who finds herself very lost in Wisconsin. And a bonus question, from the internet’s own Taylor Lorenz: What happens when you pay someone else to surf your internet?

If you want to see the images & videos referenced in this episode, or if you'd like to support the show, head to our newsletter.

And you can order Taylor Lorenz's new book here.

Where did the 8 billion dollars go? Sep 29, 2023

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This week, the story of former crypto wunderkind Sam Bankman-Fried. The government alleges he stole over eight billion dollars from the customers of the crypto exchange he started, FTX.

Our question ... how do you blow eight billion dollars? Investigative financial reporter Zeke Faux helps us answer our question.

Be sure to check out Zeke's book, Number Go Up: Inside Crypto's Wild Rise and Staggering Fall. If you'd like to support the show, head to our newsletter: pjvogt.com.

Why are we still buying diamonds? Sep 22, 2023

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They’re shiny rocks that we’ve somehow agreed embody romance and eternity. But diamonds, it turns out, are not as rare as we think. And these days, they can be made in a lab. So why do we continue to spend so much money on them? This week, the story of a century-long, international scheme. And the story of how it fell apart.

If you want to see the articles and videos referenced in this episode, or if you'd like to support the show, head to our newsletter.

Why’s it so hard to figure out how many people watch Stranger Things? Sep 15, 2023

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Maya Hawke, of Stranger Things, would like to know why won’t Netflix just tell her how many people watch the show? Plus the question underneath that question … might the internet have broken our TV industry? We get answers with help from Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw.

Review the show!

Check out my newsletter this week for some thoughts about how this story might relate to the podcast industry.

Does anyone actually like their job? Sep 01, 2023

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... Or, am I being lied to by a Brooklyn-based musician? At twenty-five, I had a question for The Hold Steady’s Craig Finn. This week, I finally got to ask it.

If you have questions or comments about this episode, or if you'd like to support the show, head to our newsletter: pjvogt.com

Why are drug dealers putting fentanyl in everything? (Part 2) Aug 18, 2023

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We speak to Luis, a former fentanyl dealer and user who tells us why a dealer might want to put fentanyl in less lethal drugs. Luis also tells us how he learned the rules of dealing, and how the rules changed over his multi-decade career.

If you have questions or comments about this episode, or if you'd like to support the show, head to our newsletter: pjvogt.com

Why are drug dealers putting fentanyl in everything? (Part 1) Aug 11, 2023

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Isn't it bad business to kill your own customers? In part one of our answer to this question, we talk to reporter Ben Westhoff, who helps us understand how Fentanyl became a street drug in the first place. He'll share recordings taped in a Chinese Fentanyl lab, and explain why some dealers might want to poison their own customers with the drug. If you have questions or comments about this episode, or if you'd like to support the show, head to our newsletter.

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